Atletico Madrid held off a spirited Barcelona comeback to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals, progressing 3-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat in a pulsating second-leg encounter in Madrid.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Barcelona made a flying start as Lamine Yamal pulled one back just five minutes in, capitalising on a loose touch from Clement Lenglet before slotting past Juan Musso.
The visitors levelled the tie in the 24th minute when Ferran Torres finished brilliantly from a precise pass by Dani Olmo, sending a powerful strike into the top corner.
However, Atletico quickly regained control as Marcos Llorente surged down the right and delivered a decisive ball into the box for Ademola Lookman, whose finish restored the hosts’ aggregate advantage.
Barcelona came close to extending their lead earlier when Fermin Lopez saw his header superbly denied by Musso. Torres later thought he had grabbed his second of the night, only for VAR to rule his effort out for offside.
The Catalans’ hopes suffered a major blow when Eric Garcia was sent off for bringing down Alexander Sorloth as he raced through on goal, leaving Barcelona to finish the match with 10 men.
Atletico held firm in the closing stages to secure progression and will now face either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semi-finals as they chase a first Champions League final appearance since 2016.
